Mikel Arteta has stated that nobody is more motivated to end Arsenal’s league-title drought ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester United.
The Gunners welcome the Red Devils to the Emirates Stadium, hoping to build on their seven point gap over second-placed Manchester City.
The North London side last won the league title in 2004, but have finished runners-up consecutively for the last three seasons and are very close this time around.
Speaking during his prematch press conference, the Spaniard revealed he is very motivated and driven by hunger to win their first league title in 22 years.
“I don’t think anybody has more motivation, more hunger, more desire for us to go all the way and win it [than me].
“But we know that the only way to do it is to focus, be present in the moment, and everything that we have done today, do it better tomorrow”, Arteta revealed.
“That’s it and that’s the only thing that we can control. The rest doesn’t add any value to us and it can take our focus to the wrong place.”
The Arsenal manager also backed striker Victor Gyokeres to return to form amid criticism over his poor performances for the club.
The Swede joined the Gunners last summer, but has struggled to replicate the form he showed at Sporting Lisbon where he scored 97 times in 102 appearances.
“Let’s assess him at the end of the season and even sometimes that is too short a sample”, Arteta added.
“We also need to understand the league that we are competing in and what is happening to the [number] nines across the league and the manner that the game is changing.
“So, there are a lot of factors to bear in mind when we assess the player, and then we’re going to assess him, not only in one aspect of the game but in many aspects of the game.”
Arsenal face Manchester United on Sunday evening, hoping for a win to continue their charge towards ending their league drought.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
